The auxiliary verb
ようだ is used for making observations. It states that something is ‘in the manner/way of (A)’. Like the auxiliary verb
そうだ,
ようだ may be used in a similar way to
な-Adjectives (can be followed by な when acting as an adjective, or
に when acting as an adverb).
の is required before these constructions when it is describing a noun.
-
ナオミはプロの歌手(かしゅ)のように歌(うた) う。
Naomi sings like a professional singer.
-
この先生(せんせい)は鬼(おに)のように怖(こわ)い。
This teacher is as scary as a demon. (Literally, ‘scary like a demon’)
-
私(わたし)は鳥(とり)のように自由(じゆう)だ。
I am free as a bird. (Literally, ‘free like a bird’)
-
最近(さいきん)はタブレットのようなスマホが売(う)られています。
Recently, tablet-like smartphones are being sold.
Because
よう (coming from the kanji 様(よう)) usually expresses the ‘manner’ in which something is existing/happening, it is regularly used when the speaker has direct personal experience from which they are drawing a comparison. This means that
よう will sound far more confident than
みたい, or
そう.
When ようだ is describing another word (in its ような, or ように form), this is known as 例示(れいじ) in Japanese. Basically this translates to ‘presenting an example’, and means that ‘(A) is an example of (B)’.